In Another Lifetime
by Darkforth284
Summary: “With all of my obnoxious, selfish, evil heart...” Words that were said in a broken voice; vanishing from the mind as time flew by. Years passed and while one held fast, the other moved on; emotions falling into a deep slumber. One visit, one opportunity, reignites those feelings; feelings attached to those specific words. But where do you go from there? (Reworked story)


**Author's Note/Disclaimer: I own nothing of the TVD, Originals, or Legacies realms, characters, or event references. I am just a writer who has had writer's block for years, but found inspiration with this pairing. On that note, I will be honest to all the TVD, Original, and Legacies fans out there; I'm not a hardcore fan, but am of Posie. As many others, I got this idea after watching their interactions and conducting extensive research on the TVD realms and lore to keep this realistic(ish). Since "The Merge" is extremely ambiguous in the Legacies realm, I attempted to keep any specific references to it out of the story; just know, it happens, but a counter curse / cure is found.**

**With all that out of the way, on with the show (story)! Please forgive me for any missed grammatical or spelling mistakes.**

* * *

**~Prologue~**

_"__You want to go on a date…with me?"_

_"__I don't know another Josie Saltzman, so yeah, you."_

Witty words challenged the question asked, an arched brow in accompaniment, masking the nerves Penelope felt as she waited for an answer. Months of subtle looks and shy smiles were all leading up to this moment…

* * *

_"__Don't blame me if you get sick, Jo-jo."_

_"__I want my cuddles; I'll risk it."_

Penelope let out a stuffy chuckle in response to Josie's pouting face, adjusting the blanket over them as Josie snuggled closer to Penelope. Disheveled and weak with a box of tissues next them wasn't exactly a romantic evening in, but neither were complaining.

* * *

_"__I'm still mad at you."_

_"__Got you to talk to me though."_

Josie tried to hide the smile that threatened to grow as Penelope smirked at her, her hands full of a tray containing her favorite snacks. Josie's eyes softened as she watched her companion stand before her, the apology evident in her posture despite her lack of words.

* * *

_"__It's alright, Jo-Jo…"_

_"__Why do they ruin all the couples I ship? Do they hate romance?"_

Penelope withheld the remark at the tip of her tongue, opting to pull her crying girlfriend further into her arms instead. Moving the tablet to the side, Penelope placed a kiss on Josie's temple, caressing her hair as her cries subsided.

* * *

_"__You okay? You seem distracted."_

_"__I'm fine, Josie. It's just…there's been a lot on my mind lately…"_

Josie tilted her head in response, her eyes telling Penelope that she wasn't buying that excuse but deciding not to push her girlfriend. Penelope smiled in thanks, unable to hold down the uneasy feeling creeping up her spine, her mind reeling over what she had to do.

* * *

_"Look, it's over, Josie.__"_

_"So, that's it__? Had your fun and now you're tossing me to the side? Not good enough for you?"_

Josie angrily attacked Penelope, her eyes filled with tears as she tried to understand why everything was crumbling, her heart breaking as the other girl just stood there. For her part, Penelope did well at the nonchalantlook on her face, hiding the internal fight with the pain and anguish each word caused her.

* * *

_"__Go away, Evil One."_

_"__Already gone. Hot tip; next time you burn your ex's hair off, make sure she can't work a bob."_

Josie shifted her eyes down at Penelope's response, a wave of guilt passing her as her ex exposed her actions. Penelope smirked as she turned to leave, ignoring the ache in her heart, her eyes hiding the truth.

* * *

_"__That's low, Penelope, even for you."_

_"__You used to like it when I went low."_

Penelope grinned at Josie's reaction, the other girl glancing around in caution before responding. Even with the months between them, the truth buried under false pretenses, Penelope couldn't help but tease her ex just to fluster her.

* * *

_"__Hey Jo-jo, need an escort?"_

_"__Sure, do you know anyone whose heart isn't made of stone?"_

Josie masked the joy she felt at hearing her old nickname by snipping back at Penelope, the other girl immediately apologizing for her actions earlier. Penelope wanted to celebrate Josie's birthday, it was the day of her birth...but also a year closer to the inevitable.

* * *

_"__I hate you."_

_"__I know."_

Penelope smirked at Josie, their gazes fixated on each other before their lips met again, the twisted quote echoing in their minds. Penelope pour as many emotions as she could into the kiss, her arms wrapping around Josie as the other did the same, the two lost in the moment.

* * *

_"__Just make sure you read it in private."_

_"__I'm not going to read it at all."_

Penelope played down the hurt she felt at those words, her eyes flickering to the ground as she raised a hand, her two friends silently getting up to follow her. Josie scrunched her eyes in frustration, oblivious to the events set in motion, to the silent plea from her ex.

* * *

_"__But I've only been using the information for good; like convincing you to win Miss Mystic Falls."_

_"__Even if I hadn't already tanked it, I don't want to win. Because then I'd be beating Hope and Lizzie wants Hope to win. So, all of your selfish, obnoxious, and evil meddling was for nothing."_

Another hypothetical slap, though Josie didn't care to see the damage she'd done as she walked away. Penelope could only tighten her grip on the pen in her hand, holding back the tears that threatened to fall, her heart cracking just a little more.

* * *

_"__Penelope, don't leave."_

_"__You know for weeks, I had been hoping that you would give me one reason to stay. Instead you gave me a thousand reasons to go."_

_…_

_"__My heart can't take it. And I will not wait around and watch what happens to you next."_

…

_"__I don't understand…"_

_"__Well, you will. One day. You will understand why I did, everything that I did."_

_…_

_"__I love you, Jo-jo. I love you with all of my obnoxious, selfish, evil, heart…"_

Josie could only watch as Penelope rolled her luggage away, the tears streaming down her cheeks as a part of her heart left. Similarly, Penelope held her head up as best as she could, her eyes focused on the ground, knowing she was leaving her own heart behind. Both girls allowed the final words between them to linger, etching the moment forever in their hearts, the emotions the two tried to fight encompassing them at the thought that this was goodbye.

* * *

Some memories can be preserved through photos and video, capturing a moment as it plays out, forever saving it in a physical form. Other, more common memories are preserved by the mind, the moment so significant that the mind subconsciously saves it, allowing the owner to recall them at will. Those kind of memories, however, can also be pushed to the side, becoming lost in a matrix of neurological pulses as new memories are saved. Yet, truly significant memories can be held on in another location, despite the possibility of fading with time.

The heart is a complex, mysterious thing, able to etch moments into itself without the owner even knowing it. Words that stain the heart, sitting in silence, waiting for that next chance. A chance to emerge from the darkness, for better or worse, drawing back everything the owner tried to forget. But one has to wonder; if the owner didn't want to remember, had truly moved on, wouldn't the heart have done the same? Or does the heart know a truth the owner doesn't, making it known at a time of need?

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**A/N: Hey! So what did you all think? I actually posted this story a few months ago, but took it down and now here's a new opening. I wasn't satisfied with the published chapters originally; I kept updating them over the course of a few weeks, eventually taking the story down for a full rework. As I became more familar with the TVD universe, I found too many mistakes in my work, that left me feeling like I was doing the fans an injustice. However, I hope to do right by them this time around. I know Legacies is an ongoing series, so I'm going to try avoid adding anything that could misrepresent canon (read my other In Another Lifetime story, I try to avoid messing with canon if at all possible) as the next season comes out. ****Please review! Thank you for taking a chance with this story! Please stick around for the end!**


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